Spark-plug cleaner



w. F. HAGEN.

SPARK PLUG CLEANER.'

APPLICATION FLED FEB. 10| 1921.'

Patented June 27, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. F. HAGEN.

SPARK PLUG CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0, 1921.

IIAQLQUI. Patented .Ime 2791922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E 'l wcww'. ML'Lham ELI-Eagan i WILLIAM HAGEN, or Manrrowoo, wrsoonsm.

SPARK-PLUG CLEANER.

Meneer.

T all whom it may 'concern a citizen of the United States, and resident of Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Spark- Plug Cleaners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to cleaners for spark plugs or similar articles, and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable and rapid means for cleaning spark plugs by 'subjecting their foul parts to a blast of air laden with a predetermined quantity of granulated abrasive material, which material is picked up in the travel of the air current, upon the injective principle.

The arrangement and construction of my device'is such that a plug can be quickly adjusted tov a hopper containing abrasive material, which hopper has extending above the normal line of abrasive material, aV blast nozzle, having ports at ornear its lower end communicatingwith the abrasive material. rll`he nozzle has encased therein an air nipple associated with theports whereby a jet of the air-laden abrasive material is discharged directly against the foulparts of the plug to efectually remove all carbon deposits or other foreign matter, it being understood that air is supplied to the air nozzle under any predetermined pressure, and varying in quantity under manual control.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention. consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as are hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and l"Subsequently claimed.

ln the drawings, f

Figure l represents a. longitudinal sectional elevation of a cleaner deviceembodying the features of my' invention, the section being indicated by line 1-1 of Figure 2, there being certain parts of this view shown broken away and in full to more clearly illustrate structural features.

, the injector nozzle mechanism, the section being indicated by line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings,

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented June 27, 25.922, Application filed lebrnary 10, 1921. Serial No. 443,900. i

1 represents a reservoir or hopper provided with a series of vent apertures 2 near its upper end, and terminating with a conical centrally apertured bottom l. rllhe mouth of the hopper is provided with a flange 1,

which is formed with -an annular recess near ,its periphery for the reception of the upoperation.

The storage chamber portion of the tank is provided with a gate controlled discharged Y mouth 4, whereby access is had tothe collected sand for the purpose of removing it and recharging the hopper. rIhe upper end of the tank is provided with an air exhaust 4', which port is encased by a delector hood 5, having burred ,openings 5 therein, thel walls of which burred openings are bent outwardly to form baflie plates,- whereby air is free to passl through thembut sand or other ingredients is trapped by the baille walls and caused to drop, by gravity, into the storage chamber, where it settles undisturbed by the air currents traveling through the tank to the exhaust port.

The open mouthl of the hopper is tightly closed by a cap 6, which cap is removably secured-to the hopper flange '1 by bolts 6" that pass through apertured ears of the cap and receive clamping nuts 7 As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the circular cap 6 is provided with an eccentrically disposed threaded plug receiving aperture 8, this aperturebeing shown in Figure 1, fitted with any standard type of spark plug A, whereby the assembled plug constitutes a stopper or'closure for the aperture. rll"he hopper 1 is circular in cross section, and the aperture in its Vlower conical end is arranged concentrically with the walls of the hopper, being adapted to receive the shank portion 9 of la blast nozzle 9, which nozzle extendsto a point near the mouth of the hopper or above the lower line of the sand or other abrasive material that is supplied in bulk to saidlhopper. y

For.convenience in manufacture, the pipe nozzle 9' is formed insections connected by a coupling thimble -.9,, as shown. The upper end of the blast nozzlel 9 terminates with a centrally discharged orifice that is formed in a mushroom head 10, the upper yface of which head is cupped as shown at l to thus constitute a baffle ,or deflector surface for the spent jet, which is discharged from the orifice, directly against. the foul surfaces of the lug parts, constituting the inner walls of t e shell, the central porce-- lain spaced from said walls and the elec trode. The air blast nozzle 9 is adjustably secured in the orifice of the hopper bottom 1 by a set screw 11, whereby said blast nozdistance beyond the sand or other abrasive intake ports 12.

Owing to the fact that the upper end of the air nipple is restricted with relation to the bore of the nozzle 9, a passage is formed vthereabout between the ports 12 and the discharge orifice of the nipple. Hence, when air is delivered through the nipple under pressure, more or less vacuum will be developed about the space therebelow, whereby' a suction is created which will cause the sand or other abrasive material to be drawn through the ports 12 and upwardly, so as to commingle with the'air, prior to its discharge from the orifice in the headlO. Thus the air and sand are thoroughly mixed before they are delivered to the 'clogged or foul parts of the plug.

The air nozzle, as shown, is capable of adjustment so as toprovide the most efficient resultswith reference to drawing in a supply of" sand fromfthe hopper, these results being varied and determined b the distance from the discharge mouth of` tile nipple orice lwith relation to the ports. The air delivery nipple 13 is suitably fitted to a valve control supply pipe 14, which -may lead to a storage tank or pump, whereby the air su ply, under suitable pressure, is maintained? From the foregoing description, it will be seen that when it is desired to clean a spark plug, the threaded end of the same is adliusted to theI aperture 8, and owing to the disalignment of said aperture with the head L orifice of the nozzle 9, the annular space between the central porcelain of the plug and the internal surface of its shell, is brought in approximate direct alignment with said orifice. The valve controlling aii` supply The shank 9 of blast nozzle is through pipe `14 is then opened slightly so as to discharge a comparatively reduced volume of compressed air from the air nipple 13. Thus, a comparatively greater volume of sand will enter the bore of the nozzle 9 through the'ports 12, and the comingled air and sand will be discharged forcibly against the internal parts ofl. the plug and its electrodes. This blast will eddy about the parts, so as to thoroughly Scrub themand finally be deflected backwardly into the hopper.' In their downward course, the returned abrasive current of air will strike the cupped surface of the head 10 and scatter so as to break up the force of the flow materially, whereby the bulk of sand contained in the hopper will not be unduly agitated or displaced. i

While the cleaning action of the blast is f functioning, the operator, -to obtain the best '85 slight pressure in the top ofthe hopper, and

this spent air and a certain percentage of the sand will pass out through the vents 2, to the separating tank 3. In the course of its travel, the air will exhaust to the atmosphere, through the port 4', and the particles of abrasive material will all'be trapped and will gradualy settle down into the storage chamber at the bottom of the tank, at which point they can be readily removed, and by disconnecting the cap 6 from the mouth of the hopper this abrasive material vcan be placed back into the hopper for use, this `return of the abrasive material being practically continuous after stipulated runs ofr the apparatus. A

`The device herein described has been in practical operation, and under ordinary conditions, a spark plug can be thoroughly cleansed in from three to five seconds. 4

While I have shown and described one exempliicatien of my invention in all of its details, it is understood that I may vary such details within a fair interpretation, as put upon the claims by the skilled mechanic.

I claim: Y

1 A cleaning apparatus for spark plugs or the like comprising a ventedhopper 125 adapted to receive granulated abrasive material, a blast nozzle .having an apertured discharge head arranged to extend above the normal line of the abrasive material, the nozzle being provided with intake ports 130 Mamet normal line of said abrasive material, a

` cap for the hopper having a plug receiving aperture therein and positioned in a iield of comprisin contact with the head orice of the nozzle, an air discharge nipple extending into the blast nozzle and terminating a predetermined distance beyond the intake portion thereof, and a metal air and abrasive separating tank in communication with the hopper.

2. A cleaning apparatus for spark plugs or the Ylike comprising a vented hopper adapted to receive granulated abrasivel material, a blast nozzle having an apertured vdischarge head arranged Vto extend abo-ve the normal line ofthe abrasive material, the nozzle being provided with intake ports communicating with the hopperbelow the normal line of 'said abrasive material, a cap for the hopper having a plug receiving aper ture 'therein eccentrically disposed with relation to the nozzle orifice, a valve con trolled adjustable air discharge nipple ex.

tending into the lower end of the blast nozzle and terminating a predetermined distance vbevond the intake ports thereof, and

means associated with the hopper vents for collecting abrasive material discharged therefrom.

3. A cleaner for spark plugs or the likev a vented hopper arranged to receive a ulk of rectangular abrasive material, a blast nozzle -having a discharge oritice surrounded by a mushroom head arranged to extend above the normal line of abrasive material, the blast nozzle being provided with intake ports communicating with the bottom portion of the hopper, a cap for the hopper having a plug receiving orifice therein, thesame being eccentrically disposed with relation to the nozzle orice, a valve controlled discharge nipple extending into the blast nozzle, the nipple terminating a predetermined distance beyond the intake ports thereof, and a tank for encasing the hopper having a trapped air exhaust port and a gate controlled discharge mouth. e A

In testimony that l claim the foregoing I have hereuntoset my hand at Manitowoc, 

